


Fragility

by Burgie



Category: Star Stable Online
Genre: Angst, F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-06
Updated: 2019-04-06
Packaged: 2020-01-05 15:30:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,751
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18368873
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Burgie/pseuds/Burgie
Summary: Since Anne came home, you have been a little too protective of her.





	Fragility

She is beautiful. That was the first thing that you noticed about Anne von Blyssen, even before she’d come out of that crystal. Seeing her in that photograph that Derek had proudly displayed in the post office, you’d thought that she looked like an angel. And now, she’s broken free of the crystal, given the superhero landing that you still can’t believe you witnessed, and she still looks beautiful, pink Pandoric scarring and all.

In the weeks that have passed since the rescue, you and Anne have only grown closer. You all have, but your feelings for Anne have eclipsed mere friendship. Perhaps they did long ago. Because it isn’t just her beauty that you marvel over, but her strength. Her intelligence. This is not the pretty blonde girl that you’d expected to save. Well, she is a pretty blonde girl, but Anne von Blyssen is nothing like what you’d expected.

But you can’t help worrying. Maybe she’s acting too strong, taking the role of leader again too easily, too readily. She hasn’t rested long enough, hasn’t recovered fully. She brushes you off when you come to her with your concerns, though.

“Aww, it’s so sweet of you to care,” she says, leaning in and brushing her lips against your cheek. You blush, your heart drowning out your concern for a few moments. It had shocked you to no end when Anne had agreed to be your girlfriend. Was she really ready for a relationship? Was it too soon since her rescue? But she’d dismissed your concerns, and you’d been too happy to be in her presence to argue. But being her girlfriend has only increased your concern for her.

Now, when the two of you go riding together, you are so worried about her falling off that you take the easy trails. And Anne agrees, probably not wanting to fight with you. Though, you often see her eyeing off the more ‘dangerous’ trails. And then guilt stings at you, but you can’t help worrying if being in Pandoria has weakened her somehow. Of course, Lisa has assured you that she’s fine, even the few druid doctors have cleared Anne as fine. The only mark that Pandoria has left on her is the visible scarring on her face and the pink in her eyes and hair.

Now, when Avalon calls the Soul Riders together for a meeting, you accompany them as the honorary fifth Soul Rider. Anne looks as beautiful as ever, her pink-streaked blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail. The pink on her face has faded to look like normal scarring, though. And she is wearing a suit, which makes your heart flutter far too much. You sit beside her when she takes her seat at the round table that you are all sitting around. Anne clasps her white-gloved hands together, and you can’t help but remember the reason for that- the Pandoric scarring on her hands is worse than anywhere else, pink veins travelling up from pink hands like burn marks or infection.

“Well,” says Anne once everyone has settled. “Shall we get back to work?”

“I guess,” Alex says. She doesn’t mean to sound sullen, you know that. She is just still grieving Elizabeth, you all are.

“Sure,” says Lisa, shrugging. Linda nods too, eyes huge behind her glasses.

“We need to come up with a plan of attack,” Anne says, leaning forward and dragging a map of Jorvik towards herself. Her hair falls forward over her shoulder, and you reach to push it back behind her back. She flashes a smile at you, and your heart thumps in your chest.

“Absolutely,” Alex says, her eyes sparking. “Darko needs to pay for what he did.” She clenches her hand into a fist.

“And he will,” Anne vows. “We’ll kill that rat, once and for all.”

“We’re not really just going to go in guns blazing, are we?” you ask, and your veins turn to ice when she nods.

“No,” you say, numb. “No, you can’t just go in there, Anne, it’s not safe!” Anne glares at you, and your heart cracks just a little at the sheer anger in her gaze, at the ‘we’ll talk about this later’ look she gives you. And you shut up, knowing that Anne’s anger will only grow if you keep poking at it.

“And that is why we are planning this out,” Anne says. “And we’ll all go this time, we won’t have someone staying with the boat.” She glares at Linda as she says this, and you feel mildly relieved that Anne’s ire has been turned from you for a moment.

“Fine,” Linda says with a huff. “Excuse me for wanting to protect the boat.”

For the rest of the meeting, you try to keep your mouth shut while Anne makes plans for the grand revenge attack. The only upside is that you’ll be taught Soul Strike in order to better fight. But that relief is short-lived when Anne beckons you towards her outside after the meeting. The look on her face is downright murderous.

“I don’t like the way you tried to undermine me at that meeting,” Anne says, her gaze flinty as she folds her arms over her chest.

“Sorry,” you say, ducking your head and pushing your hair behind your ear. “I just… worry about you, that’s all.”

“Hmph. Contrary to popular belief, I am capable of looking after myself,” Anne says. “Brief stint in Pandoria or not. I’m not some pretty little fragile thing that’s going to break at the first puff of wind, like you seem to think I am.” Her words hurt because of how true they are.

“That’s not- no!” you say, trying to defend yourself even as you see the truth in her words. Because you have been treating Anne like that, like she’s something that’s going to break. Maybe it’s because of how weak she was after you rescued her. Sure, she managed to stand briefly, but the remainder of that day had been spent with Anne needing to stretch her legs at intervals, hissing at the strain. You couldn’t forget that, no matter how hard you tried. And you had tried, because you’d wanted to see Anne for the strong young individual that she is. But your heart gets stuck on that memory of her, on the memory of her sobs the first time she’d seen herself in a mirror. She hadn’t reacted in the moment, though, of course, but later. You’d been passing by her room, wanting to check up on her, and you’d heard her muffled sobs through the wood of her door at the manor.

“Then why have you been acting like that, hmm?” Anne asks. “Do tell me, because I’d love to know why you seem to think I can’t look after myself.”

“I just- you’ve been in Pandoria for months, Anne, and you’re hiding your true feelings, you’re not dealing with it. I know that a leader’s supposed to be strong, supposed to be able to hold it together, but you never let that mask slip and I’m just worried that you’re suppressing it,” you say, your eyes burning with tears. Anne only stares at you coldly.

“Have you ever stopped to think,” she says, “that I keep the mask on for my own sake?”

“But that’s not healthy,” you say before you can help yourself. “You should talk to someone about it, anyone.” Anne snorts.

“What, like you?” Anne asks.

“Yes,” you say. “I’m your girlfriend, the one person you should be able to confide in.”

“And yet,” Anne says, her voice low, “you’ve proven today why that would be a bad idea. If I tell you exactly what’s going through my head, what I’m dealing with, you’ll lock me up in my room and throw away the key.”

“I wouldn’t,” you say, your voice breaking. “I just worry about you.”

“And if someone were to try to hurt me?” Anne asked. “When we storm Dark Core’s rig, which we’re doing despite your protests, what will you do if an attack flies for me?”

“I’ll jump between you and it,” you say before you can think twice about it. Anne raises one perfect eyebrow at you.

“And that,” Anne says, “is precisely why I want you to stay home when we go.” It feels like the world has fallen out from under you.

“No!” you say, taking a step closer to her. “I can’t do that, Anne, I can’t just stay home while you go out and fight, I have to protect you, I can’t just sit and do nothing!”

“Now you know how I feel,” Anne says. You’d never expected her tongue to be so sharp, but now, it cuts deep. “Only I have a reason to worry about you. The druids never trained you, they underestimated our enemy. So I’m sorry, but you need to stay home. You’ll only get in the way.”

“But I thought you said-” you say, remembering her promise to teach you Soul Strike. But Anne only shakes her head.

“A simple lie to placate you for the time being,” Anne says. “I couldn’t have you interrupting the meeting again like a fool.”

“Why are you doing this?” you ask, tears sliding down your cheeks. “I thought you loved me.”

“And I do,” Anne says, and you see her mask slip for the fraction of a second, see tears in her eyes. “But this is for your own good. I’m sorry.”

“Will you teach me how to use my powers when you get back?” you ask. Anne rests her gloved hand against your cheek, brushing a tear away with her thumb.

“Of course,” she says. “If you’re sure that I’ll come back.”

“I am,” you say. “I’ll worry but I can’t stop you from going.”

“That’s right,” Anne says, nodding. She kisses your cheek, a touch that you relish in. Part of you had thought that Anne would leave you for good, but it is only temporary. Hopefully.

But you know for a fact that you’ll fret until the second Anne comes home when she does go on this mission. And then, you’ll probably hold her just a little tighter. And maybe someday, she’ll trust you enough to tell you everything that’s going on. Maybe someday, you’ll stop worrying about her so much. And maybe someday, the two of you will be able to fight side by side and back to back without worrying overmuch about the other.


End file.
